Taunton sees spike in drug overdoses

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 10:35 PMFeb 1, 2014 at 2:14 PM

Charles Winokoor Taunton Gazette Staff Reporter @cwinokoor

TAUNTON — Just before Christmas, when Taunton police posted a warning on their Facebook page about an increase of heroin overdose cases in the city — due to either a tainted or very potent strain of the narcotic — police Chief Edward Walsh did not immediately return a request for comment.

But little more than a month later, Walsh was ready to talk, and Friday morning his message was clear: There has been a significant spike in the number of overdoses in Taunton and the problem doesn't appear to be waning.

Walsh said at least two, and possibly three, adults have died in Taunton since the beginning of the year as a result of injecting heroin. It's difficult to nail down the number with certainty, he said, until toxicology reports come back from the state's medical examiner.

He said that since the beginning of January, there have been more than 20 reports of people being taken to the hospital after overdosing on heroin. He said that represents a 300-percent increase compared to the normal three-to-six OD's per month.

Walsh said it's probable that some of the heroin circulating the streets is a "purer strain," making it easier for even seasoned addicts to overdose.

But he also suspects heroin suppliers and dealers have been using the painkiller Fentanyl, which is often prescribed to treat cancer-related pain, to dilute and cut the heroin.

Walsh said his officers and detectives are finding heroin in the city that is gray in color instead of the normal tan or light brown, which he said indicates that a common secondary element is being used.

He said Taunton, and other southeastern Bay State cities like Fall River and New Bedford, are dealing with the same problem widely reported in other parts of the country — most notably in western Pennsylvania, where authorities this week reported 22 OD deaths from heroin mixed with Fentanyl.

Walsh said he's convinced the people who are overdosing are not novices. "We're quite familiar with them; we've dealt with them and know who they are," he said.

This week, according to news reports, Rhode Island officials said 22 people died in the state during the first two weeks of the month due to either heroin or prescription drug "opioid" use, which includes the commonly abused painkiller oxycodone.

Walsh said he's not surprised, especially since the heroin pipeline to Taunton typically trickles down from the Ocean State's capital city.

Sgt. Matthew Skwarto, who heads up Taunton's street crimes unit, said Providence, like Lowell and Lawrence, is a "pipeline city" from which heroin is distributed to smaller cities like Taunton.

Skwarto said as upper-level dealers become more experienced in their field, heroin, in general, has become stronger and purer during the past 10 years, to the point that many users are content to snort or smoke the drug.

But injection produces an instantaneous and more powerful effect, which, in turn, increases the odds of overdosing, he said.

Perhaps even more disturbing, Skwarto said, is the fact that it appears some people are injecting what they think is heroin, but turns out to be a cutting agent, such as Fentonyl, which normally comes in either liquid form or as a patch.

Skwarto said he recently responded to the scene of an OD where he field-tested small amounts of drugs at the scene that bore no trace of heroin.

Norton police on Thursday arrested a 29-year-old woman, after their officers and police from Mansfield, Taunton and the Northern Bristol County Task Force executed search warrants at a South Washington residence.

Leanna Schwippert was charged with heroin trafficking and intent to distribute a Class E drug after police said they confiscated 44 grams of what they believed to be heroin, along with the drug suboxone.

In a statement, Norton police said there recently have been "several" overdoses and at least two deaths possibly related to heroin use.

Skwarto said it made sense to assist Norton since the house where the bust occurred is not far from the Taunton line.

Skwarto said he meets with gang investigative units from the DA's office twice a month. He said street gangs, such as the Gangster Disciples, play a significant role in selling heroin in Taunton and surrounding cities.

Walsh said the increase in drug overdoses puts a strain, not only on his already undermanned department, but also paramedics and firefighters who respond to every medical call in the city.

Authorities aren't the only ones talking about the spike in overdoses in the Silver City.

Dan Reynolds of Taunton said when he came home one day a couple weeks ago, his girlfriend had bad news.

"She said, 'Hey, Junior died,'" said Reynolds, 39.

He said the casual friend who went by that nickname was also 39.

"He was a decent guy, a churchgoer. His mom and dad are good people, and his father is a hardworking guy," Reynolds said.

But he said Junior, for whatever reason, began using prescription painkiller about four or five years ago.

Reynolds said it's become all too easy for the average citizens to become dependent on powerful and seductive painkillers such as Percocet and Oxycontin.

He said when he recently hurt his back while working at his metal fabrication job, he went to the emergency at the local hospital where he had a most unpleasant experience.

He said the doctor on duty gave him a quick, cursory examination, did not suggest taking an x-ray, and instead handed him two prescriptions, one for a muscle relaxant and the other for the highly addictive oxycodone.

"He didn't even care. I refused to take it," said Reynolds, who said he did fill the prescription for the muscle relaxer.

"Why would you do that? It's like saying, 'Go get high,'" Reynolds said. "It's not the right thing to do."

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